Home Office

Merseyside Police Authority

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total number of staff of the Merseyside Police Authority.

Lord Bates: The number of police workers employed by Merseyside Police are published in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ release. The latest published figures are as at 30 September 2014 and figures broken down by police force area can be found in the data tables of the release:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-30-september-2014-data-tables.There were 6,012 full-time equivalent police workers employed by Merseyside Police as at 30 September 2014, which includes police officers, police staff, police community support officers and designated officers.



Police Workforce - England & Wales - Data Tables 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 55.73 KB)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Social Mobility

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what their response is to the report by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission that many top companies exclude bright working-class candidates from recruitment.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The noble Lord will be aware that the recommendations of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission report are rightly directed at employers, not Government. However, participation in higher education is one of the key factors in improving social mobility and we now have record levels of disadvantaged students entering higher education. Also, through the Social Mobility Business Compact employers are working to improve access to opportunities for young people regardless of their background.

Exports: BRIC Countries

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to assist small and medium-sized enterprises to enter markets in Brazil, Russia, India and China.

Lord Maude of Horsham: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) provides a range of support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enable them to export to these and other markets. Support is tailored to meet the needs of the business and the market that they are looking to enter including advice on specific contacts and market information.

Department for International Development

Afghanistan: Females

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with the government of Afghanistan about improving conditions there for women and girls among the internally displaced population; and what assessment they have made of the work of the United Nations Population Fund on Women and Girls Safe Spaces in the Middle East in this context.

Baroness Verma: UK Government officials recently discussed the level of support provided to internally displaced women and girls with Afghanistan's First Lady. Along with other international donors, we will continue raising this issue with representatives of the Afghan Government.  DFID is funding five safe spaces inside Syria, and has supported the publication of a United Nations Population Fund guidance note on safe spaces based on experience in the region. The guidance has been widely disseminated in the region and has influenced the United Nations Population Fund’s work in Yemen. Together with the use of mobile teams and women’s centres, safe spaces are an important way for women and girls to access psychosocial support and referral to specialised services.

Africa: Tuberculosis

Baroness Nye: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made, if any, of the proportion of tuberculosis cases in (1) Malawi, (2) Mozambique, (3) Nigeria, and (4) Rwanda occurring in people living with HIV.

Baroness Verma: Details of the proportion of tuberculosis cases in (1) Malawi, (2) Mozambique, (3) Nigeria, and (4) Rwanda occurring in people living with HIV are as follows:HIV-positive TB patients 2013CountryNumber%Malawi9 99856Mozambique28 58556Nigeria19 42322Rwanda1 44725  Tuberculosis country profiles can be found on the World Health Organization (WHO) website.

Bangladesh: Marriage

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the issue of child marriage was last raised with the government of Bangladesh.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Bangladesh about its proposals to reduce the legal age of marriage for girls from 18 to 16.

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the progress made by the government of Bangladesh in implementing the commitments on child marriage it made at the London Girl Summit in 2014.

Baroness Verma: Since the London Girl Summit in 2014, the Government of Bangladesh has made progress on tackling the issue of child marriage. It is in the process of revising the Child Marriage Restraint Act to, for example, include tougher sanctions to improve enforcement. It is also in the process of finalising a 5 year National Plan of Action for Ending Child Marriage.  The UK Government continues to raise with the Government of Bangladesh our concerns regarding proposals to lower the legal age of marriage, including through Ministerial meetings and regular representations by the British High Commissioner and DFID officials.

Africa: Tuberculosis

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the proportion of tuberculosis cases in (1) South Africa, (2) Tanzania, (3) Uganda, (4) Zambia, (5) Zimbabwe occurring in people living with HIV.

Baroness Verma: Details of the proportion of tuberculosis cases in (1) South Africa, (2) Tanzania, (3) Uganda, (4) Zambia, (5) Zimbabwe, occurring in people living with HIV are as follows: HIV-positive TB patients 2013CountryNumber%South Africa181 73662Tanzania20 32037Uganda20 64848Zambia25 47662Zimbabwe22 44269  Tuberculosis country profiles can be found on the World Health Organization (WHO) website.

North Korea: Droughts

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the drought in North Korea and its potential impact on food supplies in that country.

Baroness Verma: According to UN reporting, a prolonged dry spell from mid-April to early June has led to soil moisture deficits, particularly in the central and southern provinces of North Korea, resulting in reductions of the 2015 staple rice crop and adversely affecting yield potential of early-planted crops, including maize and soybeans. A detailed assessment of the crop damage is not yet available, but early official estimates provided by the National Coordinating Committee (NCC), as of 8 June, indicate a severe contraction for rice plantings and large cultivated areas adversely affected by the current dry spell.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total cost during 2014–15, and what is the budgeted cost for 2015–16, of providing monetary assistance to persons displaced by conflict in the Middle East, and to which countries this money has been allocated.

Baroness Verma: The total DFID programme spend in response to the humanitarian crises, arising from conflict in the Middle East, was £457 million in 2014–15. The budgeted cost for 2015–16 is £448 million. This money has been allocated to Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Turkey and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Department for Education

Children: Day Care

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of how many primary schools have spare capacity to accommodate three and four year-old children of parents entitled to the new 30 hours free childcare allowance.

Lord Nash: Primary schools are an important provider of places for the current funded entitlement of 15 hours, with almost 297,000 three and four-year-olds benefiting from funded early education places in primary schools in January 2014. This is 94% all of three-year-olds and 99% of all four-year-olds. Schools have a track record of creating capacity by re-arranging their existing nursery provision, as we have seen where they have expanded their nurseries or worked in partnership with other providers, including for the delivery of funded two-year-old places.   The decision whether or not to make these sorts of changes is a choice for schools to make, but we would encourage them to consider establishing or expanding nursery provision, either directly by the school or in partnership with a third party. We will be working closely with schools and other providers to understand more about their capacity and what approaches might work best in their setting.

Exercise: Children

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report by ukactive that the Chief Medical Officer’s guidance is not being followed in schools, how they plan to ensure that children get the recommended 60 minutes of daily exercise.

Lord Nash: The Government recognises the importance of encouraging children to become more active. Through the Primary Physical Education (PE) and Sport Premium, head teachers have already received over £300 million of ring-fenced funding to spend on improving PE and sport provision. Our research has found that schools have already increased the amount of curricular PE they are delivering by an average of 13 minutes since the introduction of the Premium. In addition, 83% of schools reported an increase in the levels of participation in extra-curricular activities and 96% observed improvements in pupils’ physical fitness. The interim research brief, 'PE and sport premium: an investigation in primary schools', was published in September 2014, and the final report will be published in the autumn. The Department of Health also funds Change4Life Sports Clubs in schools which target less active children. An independent evaluation reported that in 2012-13 alone, clubs had engaged over 115,000 children. In primary schools, 75,000 children are now achieving 60 active minutes on most days of the week, an increase of 57%, and 38,000 children are now achieving 60 active minutes every day, an increase of 92%.

Children: Immigrants

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to revise the statutory guidance Working together to Safeguard Children to make specific reference to the considerations that arise in the cases of destitute families with no recourse to public funds seeking accommodation and financial support from local authorities under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, in the light of the recent report by the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society Safeguarding children from destitution.

Lord Nash: The statutory guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children, is already clear that professionals should put the needs of children first, and take the right action to promote the welfare of children and keep them safe. We continue to keep this guidance under review. As the report notes, under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities have a general duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need, by providing a range and level of services appropriate to those children’s needs. One instance where a child, including a destitute child, is taken to be ‘in need’ for these purposes, is if they are unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development or to have the opportunity of doing so, without the provision of services for the child by a local authority. This may include providing accommodation and subsistence.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Closures

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to close courts.

Lord Faulks: We are building a justice system which is simpler, swifter and more efficient. Our estate is a major asset, and in an increasingly digital world, we are looking at how we use our buildings to deliver the best possible service to our users now and in the future. Any new proposals on the future of courts will be subject to consultation.

Magistrates

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish a white paper on reform of the magistracy; and if so, when.

Lord Faulks: The Government currently has no plans to publish a white paper on reform of the magistracy. We have yet to see the full impact of changes brought about by our rehabilitation reforms, the Transforming Summary Justice Programme and the new Single Justice Procedure. These are already changing the way that magistrates work. My Rt Hon Friend the Lord Chancellor gave a speech outlining this Government’s approach to criminal justice on 23 June. The content of that speech, “What does a one nation justice policy look like”, can be viewed online at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/what-does-a-one-nation-justice-policy-look-like



Speech - Michael Gove
(PDF Document, 40.99 KB)

Prisons

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what tasks, if any, prisoners are now asked to undertake that hitherto were undertaken by staff at (1) HMP Durham, and (2) HMP Acklington.

Lord Faulks: The National Offender Management Service is committed to reducing reoffending by giving prisoners the support they need to break away from a life of crime. An important factor in their rehabilitation is providing them with the opportunity to learn new skills, contribute positively to prison life and develop a strong work ethos. As part of this, prisoners have always carried out tasks under the supervision of staff to assist the running of the prison and to gain skills in preparation for release. HMP Durham has recently added further opportunities to do this, with jobs such as the receipt and recording of routine applications; the provision of general information; non-confidential prisoner record preparation; the issuing of toiletries, and the delivery of information as part of the induction programme for new prisoners.  HMP Acklington merged with HMP Castington in March 2013 to form HMP Northumberland. From December 2013 HMP Northumberland has been operated under contract by Sodexo Justice Services. Since December 2013 prisoners have carried out some tasks previously undertaken by staff related to the stores department, prisoner property area, general cleaning, catering and electrical testing.

Freedom of Expression

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to changing the law to provide further protection for the right of individuals to freedom of expression, in the light of the recent case involving Professor Tim Hunt.

Lord Faulks: The Government has no plans to change the law to provide further protection for the right of individuals to freedom of expression.

Domestic Violence: Legal Aid Scheme

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Bates on 16 June (HL Deb, col 1072) concerning domestic violence, whether male victims of domestic violence will have access to legal aid.

Lord Faulks: Tackling domestic violence is a core priority for this Government. The Government have made a number of changes to the system to make it easier for victims of domestic violence to access legal aid, regardless of gender. The Government have made changes to existing evidence requirements, to make legal aid easier to acquire, and introduced new acceptable forms of evidence. These changes include Domestic Violence Protection Orders and police bail or a binding over order for a domestic violence offence as acceptable forms of evidence. They have also expanded the definition of ‘health professional’ to include practitioner psychologists. Evidence that someone has been turned away from a refuge because of lack of accommodation will also be accepted.

Homosexuality

Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to be able to fulfil their manifesto pledge to introduce legislation to pardon those men, now deceased, who were historically convicted of gross indecency even though they would be innocent of any crime today; and whether this new law will extend the pardon to those men similarly convicted but still living.

Lord Faulks: We are committed to fulfilling our manifesto commitment in due course. Those who are still living are able to apply for a “disregard” under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

Prisoners: Veterans

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have issued any guidelines to prison governors regarding the needs of prisoners who are veterans of the armed forces.

Lord Faulks: The previous Government made clear its commitment to working with other organisations to help deliver the best outcomes for offenders in its response to the independent review into the rehabilitation needs of ex-armed service personnel in the CJS by Stephen Phillips QC MP, in December 2014. The current Government shares this commitment and we will be issuing updated guidance for staff on working with ex-armed service personnel in custody and the community later this year.

The Lord Chairman of Committees

Peers

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask the Chairman of Committees what plans there are for providing adequate accommodation for any new members of the House of Lords.

Lord Sewel: The House’s Estate has been carefully managed over the last fifteen years to enable the Administration to provide a desk to all Members who need one, whilst pursuing objectives of good management of property and value for money, and working within agreed property benchmarking and space targets.Desks are allocated to the party groups by the Accommodation Steering Group (a sub-group of the Administration and Works Committee) and it is the responsibility of the party groups to allocate desks to specific members. The Administration seeks to provide desks for a few members who are non-affiliated or who belong to smaller groups not represented in the Usual Channels.

Ministry of Defence

VJ Day

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any representatives of the Burmese hill tribes will attend commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the Victory over Japan Day.

Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with The Royal British Legion, will lead national commemorations in central London on Saturday 15 August 2015 to mark the 70th Anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day 70).The event will begin with a special commemoration on Horse Guards Parade, attended by senior political and military representatives, veterans and their families, which will include at its heart a traditional Drumhead Service. Current members of the Armed Forces will then lead veterans and their families in a parade down Whitehall, past the Cenotaph and the statue of Field Marshal Lord Slim, who famously led the 14th Army.Further details of the VJ Day 70 programme will be announced in due course.Invitations to participate in VJ Day 70 have been issued to representatives from all declared allies of the UK, Commonwealth countries, overseas territories and Crown Dependencies. In this way, the contribution and sacrifices made during the Far East campaign by communities such as the Burmese hill tribes will be recognised on this milestone anniversary.

Armed Forces

Baroness Helic: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken to increase the availability and use of gender advisers and cultural advisers within deployable United Kingdom armed forces; and whether they will list those instances where such advisers have been deployed.

Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently examining the number, training and requirement of military gender advisors.Over the past 12 months, the MOD has deployed gender advisors to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq (in order to train the Kurdish Security Forces (KSF); approximately 700 KSF have been trained so far). The MOD will also be deploying one gender advisor to the United Nations Headquarters to support the United Nations' military advisor to the Secretary-General on gender issues.The MOD's cultural advisors have undertaken over 60 deployments over the past 12 months, to locations such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Mozambique and Bosnia.

Military Aid

Lord Craig of Radley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the cost of the armed forces' contributions to providing humanitarian assistance in (1) Sierra Leone for the Ebola crisis, (2) Nepal for earthquake relief, and (3) the Mediterranean for the rescue of illegal immigrants, will be met from the defence budget.

Earl Howe: The marginal costs of providing humanitarian assistance in Sierra Leone and earthquake relief in Nepal will be met by DfID. The marginal costs of supporting search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean will be met by the UK aid budget.

Unidentified Flying Objects

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to the 18 Ministry of Defence files on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) that have yet to be released to the public, what is the originating division of the file reference M9/18; what is the remit of that division in relation to UAP; and what is their latest estimate of when the 18 files will be passed to the National Archives, and then released to the public.

Earl Howe: The originating branch of file reference MO9/18 relates to ministers' private offices. The latest estimate of when the 18 files will be delivered to the National Archives is before March 2016. The National Archives will make the necessary judgement about when they release these files to the public.

Mediterranean Sea: Refugees

Lord Higgins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what orders are given to British naval vessels that have rescued migrants in danger at sea regarding where the migrants should be disembarked.

Earl Howe: Under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, the government responsible for the Search and Rescue Region in which assistance to those in distress at sea has occurred has the primary responsibility for ensuring that survivors are disembarked at the most convenient place of safety, with minimum deviation for the rescuing vessel. The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (IMRCC) manages all rescues in the Central Mediterranean area of operations. At present, those rescued in the Central Mediterranean are brought to shore in Italy, in ports determined by the IMRCC.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fruit

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that more British-grown fruit is sold within the United Kingdom.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The British fruit industry forms a vital part of our food production. We are working with industry to develop a long-term plan to buy more, sell more and grow more British food and ensure our industry can become a world leader. There has been a steady increase in the total value of UK fruit production over the past five years. Developments in new varieties, production techniques and storage have contributed to increased productivity. More UK-grown fruits are available to British consumers than ever before. This Government has taken a lead in buying more British food, implementing the Bonfield plan for public sector procurement. It is opening a potential £400 million of new business by making it easier for schools, hospitals and canteens to buy high-quality local food, including British-grown fruit. Under the Government’s Agri-Tech Strategy we have announced £5.3 million of government and industry funding for seven projects to address challenges for the British fruit sector. These projects will tackle diseases and other issues that limit the supply of British produce. The industry and government are working to promote the long-term health benefits of eating fruit and vegetables. The UK school fruit and vegetable scheme ensures that every child under the age of seven in school receives a piece of fruit or vegetable every day to help build healthy eating habits.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many affordable house building completions in receipt of government financial support there were in each financial year from 2005–06.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many affordable house building starts in receipt of government financial support began in each financial year from 2005–06 to date.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The numbers of affordable housing starts and completions in England funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and the Greater London Authority from 2009/10 are as follows Financial YearTotal affordable housing startsTotal affordable housing completions  2014/1536,60459,226  2013/1441,62536,334  2012/1335,93036,734  2011/1215,41051,731  2010/1148,46555,909  2009/1053,91753,172   Source: DCLG Statistics Live Table 1012 (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply) Figures for earlier years are not readily available on a comparable basis.

HM Treasury

Pensions: Advisory Services

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people sought telephone advice from The Pensions Advisory Service in (1) April following the commencement of the Pensions Schemes Act 2015, and (2) May.

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people sought (1) telephone advice, and (2) an in-person interview, with Citizens Advice in (a) April following the commencement of the Pensions Schemes Act 2015, and (b) May.

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current waiting time for an in-person interview with Citizens Advice.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The government committed to providing free, impartial guidance through Pension Wise, to help people make informed and confident decisions about how they use their defined contribution pension savings in retirement. It is available online, via the telephone and face to face. As of 6 April – the date on which the new pension flexibilities commenced – Pension Wise had handled more than 3,600 calls since the opening of the contact centre in late March. Nearly 1400 people had booked a telephone guidance appointment with the Pensions Advisory Service, while nearly 380 people had booked a face to face appointment with Citizens Advice. Citizens Advice does not provide Pension Wise guidance over the phone.   Information on Pension Wise service usage since 6 April will be published in due course.   Pension Wise recommends that users take their time to prepare and gather relevant information before their guidance session, if they have not already done so by the time of booking their appointment; this can normally take around 2 weeks. The government estimates that, on average, face to face appointments take place within 9 days of booking.

Cabinet Office

Honours

Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 27 November 2014 (HL2967), whether the reduction in the number of persons styled professor in the list of knighthoods and damehoods in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for 2015 anticipates the next Quinquennial review.

Lord Bridges of Headley: There is no specific allocation of Honours for Professors who compete with other candidates in the normal way.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Television: Licensing

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on public service broadcasting of decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The potential impacts of decriminalisation are being considered as part of the TV Licence Fee Enforcement Review. This review is in its final stages and David Perry QC will report his findings to the Secretary of State by the end of June.

S4C

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that funding for S4C does not drop below its current level.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: S4C currently receives funding both from the exchequer (£6.8 million for 2015-16) and £74.5 million from the licence fee, for 2015-16 and also 2016-17, the end of the licence fee settlement. All options around the licence fee will be considered as part of the Charter Review. The level of all exchequer funding for public bodies will be a matter for the Spending Review, which has yet to begin.

Horse Racing: Betting

Viscount Astor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to introduce the horse racing betting right announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his 2014 Autumn Statement.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We are committed to replacing the current levy system to create a level playing field for British based and offshore gambling operators. It has always been recognised that more work will be needed on the detailed design of a Horserace Betting Right before any legislative proposals can be brought forward. This work is now under way and is expected to be completed later this year. We have not set a target date for introducing a bill as this will depend on both the completion of the detailed design work and the availability of Parliamentary time.

Broadband: Lincolnshire

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to invest in high-speed broadband in Lincolnshire.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has allocated £16.66 million to the Lincolnshire broadband project. 79,824 homes and businesses had been given access superfast broadband by 31 March 2015 as a result of the project.